At least ten people were injured when police opened fire on activists during a BNP-sponsored hartal (general strike) on Saturday. In Bhola AL, front workers clashed with BNP workers leaving 20 injured in Manpura.
At least 20 people were injured in a clash between activists of the ruling Awami League–Bangladesh Chhatra League and Jubo League– and BNP at Hazirhat in Manpura upazila on Friday.Local sources said a group of activists of the local units of Jubo League and Chhatra League stormed the Manpura upazila unit BNP office and vandalised it from a procession at about 7:00 pm.
At one stage, a chase and counter- chase took place between the activists of Jubo League and Chattra League and BNP over the incident, trigging a clash.
A least 20 people were injured during the hour-long melee. The injured were rushed to Manpura Upazila Health Complex. Being informed, police rushed to the spot and brought the situation under control.
A daylong hartal, enforced by the local unit of BNP protesting vote rigging during the second phase upazila election, is progressing amid violence in Sadar uapzila on Saturday, leaving 12 people, including three with bullets, injured.
Mohammad Shahidul Islam, officer-in-charge of Sadar Police Station, said activists of the upazila unit of Jubo Dal, led by its president Mohammad Hossain Pusti, brought out a procession in support of the shutdown from Hatimara area of the upazila in the morning.
When the procession reached Sipahipara area, police obstructed it, triggering a chase and counter-chase. The Jubo Dal activists hurled brickbats towards police forcing the law enforces to retaliate promptly.
Police dispersed the pickets by firing three rounds of bullet. At least 12 people, including three with bullets, were wounded during the incident.
The three bullet-injured, Mohamamd Hossain Pusti, 40, president of the Sadar upazila unit of Jubo Dal, his sibling Nur Hossain Pusti, 33, president of 2- ward unit of the organisation, and Faruk Hossain, 38, activist, were rushed to Munshiganj General Hospital, from where they were later referred to Dhaka Medical College Hospital.
Shops in the southern part of the upazila remained open during the shutdown.
Besides, plying of vehicles was as usual. Earlier, BNP candidates boycotted polls in Sadar upazila on allegation of vote rigging on Thursday.
Later the BNP called a daylong hartal in the upazila for Saturday protesting various irregularities during the voting. – UNB
